Ah, Catalan…

29 09 2009

Two posts in one day? WHAAAAA???

But i just got back from class at UAB (the school outside of Barcelona that we can take classes at) and after much stress and a lot of questions to my advisor, Teresa, I arrived in General Sociology to discover… that it was taught in Catalan.

Not wanting to waste my time, I took notes.  Double column notes: first, of what was happening in the class.  2nd, my reactions to class.

Els problems de la sociologia

Subtitle: Why am I still sitting here?

La dificultat de fer “experiments”

Really bad sign when the whole powerpoint is in Catalan.  That would be difficult to change.

La “familiaritat” amb l’objecte d’estudi

Stupid backwards accents and misplaced normal ones.

Algo sobre “Weber”

I do not know why I just wrote Weber down.

I am the only blond in the room.  Out of 80

I guess it’s a good sign that I’m so lost in this class compared to others.  Maybe I DO understand Spanish.

“La imaginació sociològica és la capacitat d’abastar des de les transformacions més impersonals i més remotes fins a les dimensions més intimes de l’ésser humà i de saber venure les relacions que hi ha entre munes i les altres”  (Mills 1987)

Hey, I recognize the name Mills.

Should I have just left at the beginning?

Okay, no.  She just made a joke at the expense of a guy going to the bathroom.  Shut. It. Down.

At the requisite pausa of the three hour long class, I told her I didn’t understand Catalan and asked if any other section was taught in Castellano.  No, she said, but you could take your test in English if you wanted.  Thanks, but no thanks.

So now I’m again classless, and looking into this class at UAB about the EU. One of the few classes taught in Castellano, because it’s filled with other international students (Erasmus kids)





Downside of a pierced nose-

27 09 2009

the first runny nose.





25 05 2009

So I’m watching Carrie Underwood’s video for ‘before he cheats’ (don’t ask why) and the youtube ads are for Ford and for Trojan condoms. Product placement?





Differences

21 05 2009

A crucial difference between where I grew up and where I go to school: In Missouri, Birthright is known as an abortion clinic





I’m Strange: Episode 1

15 05 2009

When sitting on a delayed prop plane idling on the tarmac, instead of worrying about a prompt departure, I thought, “man this would be the perfect time for the slow clap.”





n00b fo sho

12 05 2009

after a long afternoon of not studying and learning about blogs, i succumbed to my inner desires and got wordpress for the summer.  since i’ll be biking from providence to san francisco, i wanted a way to keep everyone in the WORLD in touch.  vain, i guess, but here goes nothing…